You're correct, it doesn't change my mind, in fact it is a very lame attempt at justifing the things that he said. Of course he didn't have to say the words "race" or "racist" in his speech to make it one all about the divisions that he sees in this country with both race and class.
BTW, the Stafford Act which he was referring to in regards to N.O. was repealled before he gave that speech, but he threw it out there anyway, pandering the lack of knowledge with his audience by implying that N.O. was treated in a bigoted fashion.

The former Bush administration official who headed Hurricane Katrina disaster relief said Wednesday that President Barack Obama played “the race card” with his 2007 speech about the Bush administration’s response.

Michael Brown, the former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, harshly criticized then-Sen. Obama’s remarks to a black audience at Hampton University, where Obama railed against a double standard for federal relief efforts in New Orleans.

“I call total BS on the President’s comments about Katrina,” Brown told POLITICO in an email. “He needs to get his facts straight and stop playing the race card with Katrina.”

Brown added, “The men and women of FEMA work tirelessly for disaster victims regardless of race, political affiliation or any other category he wants to lump people into.”

In his address five years ago, Obama attacked the government’s delay in waiving a federal requirement for relief and reconstruction for Katrina victims, as it had been for other disasters. The federal Stafford Act — which governs the distribution of disaster relief dollars — requires states and localities to match about 10 percent of the funds they received, which was waived quickly after Sept. 11. It wasn’t waived for Katrina until about nine months after the hurricane struck.

“Not only did we waive the state/local share for Ground Zero after 9/11, we also did the same for the Hurricane Katrina disaster,” Brown wrote.

Bush famously thanked Brown for his handling of the disaster relief, saying, “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.”

Obama campaign insiders told POLITICO that privately the video has created some tension just hours before the first presidential debate in Denver tonight. The Romney campaign said this morning that they had no part in pushing the video.

“Voters have to look at that video and make up their mind on that individually,” Romney adviser Kevin Madden said on CBS’s “This Morning.”

nw30--are you kidding me? The guy that screwed up the response to Katrina is your source? Why don't you quote the Easter Bunny too?

The Republican party decides to fight anything that a black president does, even when it is policies that had previously been supported by the Republicans--and that makes Obama divisive? No, it makes the party that panders to bigots completely corrupt.

Mac you really are a desperate pathetic liberal with your constant cries of racism and bigotry. barry has spent his entire campaign on class warfare, and divide, and is without question the most partisan, divisive president we have ever seen. America put barry in the white house based on Hope and Change and instead we got divide and blame, and a bunch of moonbats like you screaming its all racism. Do you even realize what a bigot and hater you are?

Is anyone here suggesting that the Bush Administration's response to the disaster in the wake of Hurricane Katrina was first rate and free of any criticism? Certainly, history tells the real story, and that's not just my opinion.

After watching that clip, how long will it be before we have another incoherent post about there being no bias in the media?

For the first time in 4 years, the President was not protected by sycophants, be they his overt supporters or the press corps (the "ps" is silent). At last his record was challenged in front of a large audience. He looked weak, ill prepared and lacking substance........exactly the way he has looked to some observers for his entire term. Romney by a mile.

nw30--are you kidding me? The guy that screwed up the response to Katrina is your source? Why don't you quote the Easter Bunny too?

The Republican party decides to fight anything that a black president does, even when it is policies that had previously been supported by the Republicans--and that makes Obama divisive? No, it makes the party that panders to bigots completely corrupt.

LOL, wow you're even farther gone than I thought.
Probably haven't even watched his speech, all 40'ish minutes of it.
Did you watch the debate tonight?
Probably not.

You know, PBS didn't do the split screen thing. While I saw Romney looking at President Obama during his commentary and responses, the split screen wasn't designed into the drama.

Matthew's is a left wing airhead. He's trapped in his own world.

In my view, President Obama was clearly more presidential, and I think that he addressed more of the actual problems we face, and offered more practical solutions. While I seem to be in the minority view given pundit's comments (at least on PBS), I think they wanted to see a more bold confrontational commentary.

Definitely, Romney's dialog was confrontational, so it stood out to those looking for that kind of bold style, yet there was still nothing offered to support the real details. It wasn't a surprise that Romney's comments didn't offer any important facts and details. In my view, it was quite evident that his responses showed his nervousness and desperation.

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